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C o n s u m e r E l e c t r o n i c s D a i l y N e w s T h u r s d a y, J a n u a r y 7 , 2 0 1 6 1 4 ADD WINDOWS TO YOUR HOME ROBOTICS CATEGORY ECOVACS Robotics, the premier devel- oper and manufacturer of home service robots, is changing the home robotics category by moving from floors to win- dows. DEEBOT, a line of floor cleaning robots, continues to be successful, but WINBOT, a family of window cleaning robots, is the company show stopper sparking media attention, industry awards and retailer interest. "The home service robotics cate- gory has grown exponentially in the last several years and is on track to continue. Retailers are looking for fresh ideas to bring in these new con- sumers and establish themselves as the expert in the category. ECOVACS can help. WINBOT, our line of window cleaning robots, is so unique retailers are sometimes stumped as to where to place them, but no matter where they are displayed, consumers are always mesmerized. That means opportunity to capture that consumer and turn them into a lifetime customer," says Mike Hecht, Executive Director of ECOV- ACS Robotics Inc. New price points, innovation and technological advancements are featured on the newly introduced WINBOT mod- els, creating new revenue streams and new demand within the robotics catego- ry. WINBOT 7 made a splash with its mass market introduction at CES 2013. Response was overwhelming and demonstrations drew crowds and ques- tions; "How does it stick to the win- dow?" "How does it clean?" The award-winning introduction focused on ease of use. Affix the microfiber cleaning pads, spritz the front pad, plug in, switch it on, place it on the window and press start. Pathfinder Technology automatically scans and calculates the size of the window, then programs a cleaning path for maximum efficiency. Its advanced technology and multiple sensors help it intelligently avoid edges and obstacles while leaving windows shining. The recently released WINBOT 830 is full of innovative fea- tures to clean quickly and easily. Its smart suction fan, light weight and re- designed cleaning pad system allow WINBOT 830 to clean more surfaces including vertical glass, framed or frameless glass, frosted or filmed glass, horizontally mounted glass and more. WINBOT 830 is still simple to use with one-touch operation and now automati- cally chooses an "N" or "Z" cleaning paths based on window shape. Its smart sensors stop it from crossing window frames and intelligently clean up to frameless glass edges, and around door handles and locks. Another ECOVACS product creat- ing new demand is the advanced WIN- BOT 930 with its proprietary SmartMove System of navigation and cleaning. SmartMove sep- arates robot navigation from robot cleaning. These independent systems enable WINBOT 930 to provide a four-sided, four- stage cleaning process in any direction the robot travels. SmartMove also increases cleaning speed and ensures complete coverage even in hard-to-reach corners, while the sophisticated on-board oper- ating system and multiple sensors help avoid edges and obstacles during clean- ing. The next generation of WINBOT has arrived! Come preview the very quiet WINBOT 850 before its release to the market. It has an updated ergonomic design, added sensors and improved bumpers with the same time-saving, effective cleaning. Add sales to your robotics category with ECOVACS Robotics products. For more information, go inside the Sands' Robotics Marketplace, booth #72545. GROWING YOUR BUSINESS THROUGH IOT By Dyon Agnew, Vice President of Communications Services at Ericsson North America Industry analyst firm Gartner estimates that the world will see 25 billion Internet connected "things" by 2020, while IoT specialist analyst Machina Research pegged the global IoT market opportuni- ty at USD 4.3 trillion by 2024. Whether you look at IoT from a connectivity, solu- tion or new revenue point of view, it's clearly going to be big. IoT represents a slew of new and diverse connected services for consumers and industry, and new growth opportuni- ties for your business. The challenge is to create productive and profitable IoT solu- tions that leverage these tremendous opportunities, while continuing to oper- ate your existing business. This means recognizing and addressing several key aspects of a successful IoT program, without it becoming a costly education in the process. Start with understanding that IoT is about the eco-system required to make your business idea and solution become a reality, and that there are no "one size fits all" solutions, even when the pro- grams are similar. Instead, approach it as a new program, but leverage the experiences and key learnings from IoT pioneers. Some things to consider as you select the various components of your program include: scope and requirements – do you have an experienced advisor who can help you avoid common pitfalls and accelerate the program's deployment?; technology – does your trusted advisor understand your requirements, as well as have a deep knowledge of the platform and network options that best meet those needs?; security – does your advisor understand that every IoT device provides a potential vulnerabili- ty to your business network, and know how to protect it?; partners – do you have access to a robust set of partners that can form an eco-system around your business idea with proven, inte- grated solutions and established busi- ness relationships?; and customization – do you have the ability to identify the relevant data and apply appropriate ana- lytics to make your IoT solution highly meaningful to your business, and the services needed to tie the compo- nents to meet your customers' unique requirements? Ericsson is driving IoT innova- tion, adoption and optimization the world over. Our broad portfolio of products and services – combined with our global experience, recog- nized mobility leadership, and a vast array of partners – provide an unrivalled suite of solutions to help operators and enterprises develop a profitable IoT busi- ness. As leaders in the development of 5G and cloud technology, we not only understand how companies can leverage IoT technology today, we have clear insights into how they will leverage this technology tomorrow to compete and win in the Networked Society. For more information, visit www .ericsson.com, call 972.583.4998 or stop by booth #10433. KEEPING IT SIMPLE: HEALTH TECH FOR TODAY'S OLDER ADULT By David Inns, Chief Executive Officer, GreatCall A venture capitalist caused a recent stir by suggesting digital health won't get traction until Millennials are old and sick. Why? The real economic impact of health tech comes from improving out- comes and reducing cost in the healthcare system. Older adults drive the bulk of these costs. Assuming today's older pop- ulation isn't filled with early adopters, we won't have traction until we have a generation that is old, sick and has grown up with technology. What if we designed digital health solutions for today's older population instead of the next generation? Here are the keys to doing so. You can't win with apps alone. Only 27 percent of Americans over 65 have a smartphone, according to 2015 Pew Research. However, this does rep- resent an eight-point increase in owner- ship compared with early 2014 – with most of that adoption occurring in the most active and healthy segments of seniors. Those that can benefit most aren't adopting smartphones quickly – and when they do, find apps and Bluetooth pairing a challenge. To make an impact today, you can't assume your customer can download an app; you may need to put devices in their hands or engage the family caregiver in the process. Solve the adoption problem with simplicity and service. Everything in your solution needs to work out of the box with minimal setup. You also need well-trained, patient, com- passionate people to help your cus- tomers. Don't over-engineer complex solutions that increase feature costs with features that will never be used. Make sure every barrier has been scruti- nized and minimized. Focus on problems and tangible solutions, not technology. Unlike Millennials, today's senior doesn't adopt technology because it's new and cool. If you ask older consumers if they are interested in a new technology, the answer will be no. If instead you speak to them about a problem, and present a viable solution at a reasonable price, the answer will change. Engage family caregivers. A recent RAND study concluded "fami- ly caregiving" in the U.S. costs $522 bil- lion per year. Technology can improve the productivity and effectiveness of caregivers. Since the caregiver will play a large role in your sales – from provid- ing decision support to coordinating pur- chase and setup – your marketing mix, operational processes and your product itself need to account for their important role. Go direct-to-consumer. There is a large market of con- sumers and caregivers with problems – and they are willing to pay for the right solutions. To get results in the direct-to-con- sumer market you need to address the previous points plus have capital for driv- ing awareness. Drive primary demand through awareness and education. The health tech market for older adults is in its infancy. Companies must drive pri- mary demand for these solutions to be successful. Simple, cost-effective solu- tions that solve real problems and allow older adults to remain active and inde- pendent longer will drive adoption. The underlying key is that smart tech compa- nies developing technology need to be smart enough to keep it simple. For more information, visit www.great call.com.